Kestrel Makes: The Knitter's Curse (& 2 new knitted items)

I do not have any knitwear that matches each other. I have been knitting regularly for around 7 years and I don't have a single pair of gloves, scarf or hat that match.

I suspect I am not along amongst knitters. Just like seamstresses who cannot pass up a vibrant print, then wonder what on earth it's going to go with, knitters are seduced by a beautiful shade or the softness of a yarn. I always seem to buy enough for a small item, like a hat, never enough for something more substantial.

Mostly I am not too bothered about matching, but when I bought a new (to me) coat last year, I realised that my bright red hat was going to look too jarring against its blue tones. Besides, it's always nice to have a reason to make a hat.

This is my coat, bought at a charity shop for £6.99, a veritable fortune for a charity shop purchase for me. It's a lovely vintage number, made in Scotland by Glen-Har. It's actually a little big, but not massively so. I normally prefer belted coats but in experimenting with this new loose-fitting shape I found I really liked it.

Last year I finished a 2nd Aestlight shawl using a gorgeous rich blue yarn, culled from an unworn project. It was begun a mere two years previously, and abandoned partway through, for some reason. The yarn is 100% alpaca and just gorgeously soft and so rich in colour, plus it is a decent match for the tones of blue in my coat.

I knitted this hat to match, using the Alicia Plummer Mullspice pattern. Truth be told, it wasn't very enjoyable to knit. The textured stitch pattern which forms most of the hat was made by a 4-row rib pattern, with the stitch order reversed for one row. I hate knitting rib. Plus I knit one extra row and messed up the cable pattern. I also didn't have enough yarn so had to truncate the number of decrease rows, so it should be a bit slouchier. Then, it got looser after blocking and doesn't fit as snugly as I would like. But, whatever, it's a cosy hat thanks to the double brim, it matches my coat and it didn't take too long to knit.

Two shades of blue is about as matchy as I'll ever get, I suspect. It means I can get away with my slightly clashing (but lovely) gloves at least.

K x

EDIT! I forgot to say I'm now on Instagram as kestrelmakes. So far I've posted 3 not very good pictures. Follow me!

7 comments:

Elise4 February 2015 at 14:42
Ooh lovely! I have a notion to make a triangle scarf and stick some fringing on it :) excellent bargain on the coat too
Anonymous4 February 2015 at 17:03
I was just realizing that I have the same problem the other day! None of my knitted accessories match any of my coats, either! I found a single skein in my stash that matched my furry coat pretty well so just knit up a quick hat, but as usual, my scarves and wrist warmers are all different colors. So silly!
pattyc4 February 2015 at 19:33
I thought it was just me who had no coordinated knitted makes. I have had the Mullspice pattern staring at me for a few months. For some odd reason I have no burning desire to knit it. Maybe next fall. I think I'm looking forward to spring after having week after week of snow storms.
Mother of Reinvention4 February 2015 at 19:48
I have the same problem but as I mostly knit scarves it's not so bad. Nice coat. Looks really cosy. X
Tasha5 February 2015 at 19:58
Lovely items! That's about as close as I come to matching outerwear, too. The actual closest I got was when I knit yellow gloves and wanted to knit a matching hat but knew I never would actually do it, so I threw the yellow into a fair isle hat I knit later, so I could call it matching. Ha ha!
Philippa7 February 2015 at 08:28
Your coat looks like a classic and I love handmade accessories. They are a lot warmer and have more character than shop bought but I have to get someone else to knit mine. My mum made my scarf and I have got her working on some wrist warmers!! Your scarf/shawl is particularly pretty.
Lynne8 February 2015 at 19:04
Ooo! Your coat is lovely, what a grwat find.